Locked Away (Living With Lies Book 2) by Riann C. Miller Page A

silent. Belle holds my stare until her shoulders finally sag.
    “Until the day I discovered what my father did, I called him Daddy because that made him happy. He didn’t care if I was twenty years old, he still pictured me as a little girl and it was important to me at the time to make him happy. Now ...” She pauses and takes a deep breath. “Now, I don’t know what Damian is to me. He has Kate and ...” She turns away from me and looks out the window. We’re still in the garage so I know she’s not taking in the scenery. Instead of saying something more and risk pissing her off, I start the car and pull out onto the street.
    “Where to?” I ask once we’re a few miles away from home. Belle turns toward me. “The mall.”
    “The mall?” I repeat as my eyes widen. I haven’t even been to this mall and I can tell you for a fact that I hate it. Shopping, especially where there are hundreds of stores, is not my idea of a good time, but I signed up for this, which means I need to keep my mouth shut.
    “Don’t worry. I won’t be there long,” she says, apparently picking up on my thoughts.
    I pull into the only mall I’ve seen since I’ve moved to town and park.
    “I shouldn’t be long. An hour. Two tops,” Belle says as she reaches for the door handle.
    “Wait, I’m going with you,” I say, squaring my shoulders, ready for her to snap at me.
    Her eyes narrow as her head tilts to the side. “Why did you offer to come with me today?” she questions, catching me off guard.
    I watch her for a moment. “I like you, and I don’t want you wandering around the city all by yourself,” I tell her, which isn’t a complete lie.
    Every time I’m around Belle, I like her more, and for some reason, I want to get to know her. But the truth of the matter is, neither Gavin nor I think it’s a good idea for her to wander around Denver alone. We have no idea what’s going on with her father, and until we do, we need to keep a close eye on things.
    “You like me?” she repeats, sounding somewhat annoyed.
    “Yes,” I say through a long exhale. “Look, I know I’ve come off as an asshole.” She smiles, probably remembering how she called me out on my bullshit. “But I’m not normally a jerk. When you asked me why I wasn’t working, your question hit a nerve and that’s on me, not you.”
    Belle slowly nods her head. “Ready?” Just like that, all seems to be forgotten. I quickly jump out of my car when it’s clear she’s not waiting on me. Once we make it inside, Belle appears to be on a mission.
    She turns into a large department store and doesn’t stop until she spots a rack of swimsuits. I watch in horror as she starts picking out some of the ugliest one-piece suits I’ve ever seen. I have no idea why she wouldn’t want to wear that scorching suit she had on the other day.
    “Okay, I’m ready to pay.” Again, she’s managed to shock me. I can’t say I’ve ever gone shopping with a woman before, but I was expecting her to look at every damn swimming suit the store had before buying one, but that’s not the case.
    “I need to go to a cell phone store.”
    “Is your phone not working?” I question as her eyes darken. Kate mentioned earlier that Belle was in her room talking on a cell phone—something none of us knew she had.
    Instead of answering me, Belle smiles and walks past me, not worrying in the slightest if I follow her. Like a dog on a leash, I trail next to her as she walks into a cell phone store where the salesman perks up the second he spots her.
    “Can I help you?” he asks, eyeing her up and down.
    “I hope so. I need a prepaid smartphone.”
    The jerk smiles. “Then I can definitely help you,” he purrs, causing me to roll my eyes.
    “I thought you had a phone,” I question in a tight voice.
    “I did. I do, but I need another one,” Belle says before looking away from me.
    I take a couple of strides until I’m standing next to her. “Why do you need another